


Justice

by thraxbaby



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: I smooshed Asra's and Julian's Book XI routes together, book xi spoilers, justice spoilers, you know I spend half my coins for that ot3 hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 07:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14764859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thraxbaby/pseuds/thraxbaby
Summary: Ramona will do whatever it takes to free Asra and Julian.





	Justice

Ramona felt jittery as she followed the guard down to the dungeon underneath the colosseum. She hadn't slept much the night before, instead she had paced the floor of Portia's cottage. She had stayed the night with Portia, not trusting herself to be alone, lest she break down or do something rash. Both of her loves were locked in a cell, accused of a crime they did not commit. It wasn't fair. It felt like everyone around her had some secret agenda and she was the only one who wasn't informed. How could she defend them in court if the full truth still eluded her?

They approached the cell and Ramona could hear Asra and Julian bickering. She smiled sadly to herself. At least they were finally talking... 

The guard unlocked the door and the two prisoners looked to their visitor. 

"Ramona! I'm so glad you're okay." Asra moved towards her, but the movement pulled Julian to the wall. 

"Hey!" Ramona saw they were connected by one chain, looped through a ring bolted to the wall. Julian tugged back, evening out his side of the chain. She stepped closer so they weren't pulling on each other. 

Ramona told them of the trial, which was definitely better than simply being hanged, but with the courtiers in charge, Ramona had a sinking feeling they would get their way regardless of how hard she tried. Asra and Julian were fighting again, which snapped her out of her negative thoughts. 

"You could have just talked to me. I'm not that hard to find, Ilya. Am I?" Asra looked to her. She was reminded of the mornings when she woke to an empty bed, how he would be gone for days on end and she would be left behind. The lonely nights with no one to talk to... 

"You do tend to disappear..." Ramona mumbled, looking up into his eyes. He frowned. 

"I guess I do have a habit of... wandering. I'm sorry." The apology was for the both of them. Ramona turned to Julian, sadness in her big brown eyes. 

"And Julian, why did you turn yourself in? I thought we were working together to prove your innocence? What changed? What happened in that dungeon that changed your mind? What did you find down there?" Ramona questioned. "You said you wanted a future with me. Why are you giving up now?" Julian frowned, the pitiful look on her beautiful face was breaking his heart. 

"Ramona... If you knew the things I've done, what a monster I really am..."

"Then tell me!" Ramona snapped. "Talk to me, let me be the judge of that! Stop making the decisions for me!" 

"Ilya." Asra warned. Now was not the time for him to be a martyr. 

Asra wrapped his arms around Ramona. She breathed in his scent of incense and perfumed soap, feeling herself relax in his embrace. All she wanted was this, but safe at home instead of a cell, time ticking down until the trial. 

"Come here, Ilya." Asra reached out for Julian. 

"Are- are you sure?" Julian asked, feeling bad for making Ramona upset. 

"Yes, come here." Ramona Said, reaching out as well, opening up the hug for him. He stepped closer and wrapped his long arms around the two of them. It felt good, being hugged like this, just the three of them. 

Ramona was the first to step away, moving towards the door. Once out of their reach, she turned back to look at Asra and Julian. 

"I still refuse to give up on you, both of you. Even if it means going down to the dungeon myself."

"No!" Julian reached out for Ramona, but she stepped out of his reach. "No, Ramona, please. Don't go down there. You could get sick, or hurt!"

"He's right, Ramona. What if you find too much and your headaches return? I can't help you of you're stuck down there in a coma." Asra pleaded. 

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." Ramona said. She was nothing if not stubborn. "You two are always going on about protecting me, but it's my turn to protect you. And I can't do that if I don't know all the facts." With that, Ramona spun on her heel and marched out of the cell, trying her best to ignore the pleas coming from the two people she cared for most. 

... 

Dressed in an apron and plague mask, Ramona followed behind Valdemar, once again feeling jittery and nervous. The idea that they might keep her locked in the dungeon, never to see the light of day sat at the forefront of her mind. She knew the courtiers were up to no good, she just didn't quite know how far they were willing to go to keep her from figuring it all out. 

Valdemar seemed just a little too into whatever used to happen down here, which apparently involved cutting up plague patients, then throwing the remains to those creepy red beetles. Ramona asked questions about Julian's participation down here and they revealed that Doctor #069 - oh, she was so going to tease him about that if... no, _when_ he was safe at home - was always down in his office. They also confirmed he was indeed locked down here during the masquerade. Julian really was innocent. 

Ramona asked to be let into his office and Valdemar unlocked the door for her. She pulled off the mask and looked around. Julian's energy clung to every surface in this little office, a hundred times more than out by the vivisection stage. It was so strong, Ramona could see Julian sitting at the little desk, plague-ridden, yet still hard at work. It was so vivid, Ramona felt if she reached out, she could feel his cool skin beneath her fingers, but she held herself back in fear of disturbing the vision. Julian was talking to himself, urging himself to keep working. 

"Is this how you felt?" Ramona frowned. She almost felt like he had spoken directly to her, as if he could see her standing beside him. But she never had the plague. She was still here. He must be talking about someone else. Maybe Lucio? Or maybe a patient who had died on Valdemar's stage?

The vision faded, leaving only Ramona in the empty room. She looked over the papers left behind, but all she could make out where feverish scribbles. Something about dreams of a raven headed figure, wanting to believe... A raven headed figure? Ramona knew that one. Flipping through her tarot deck, she found the one she was looking for. The hanged man. But why was Julian dreaming of him? A vision flashed across her eyes. Julian hanging over the stage during their "date". It matched the card. But what did it mean? The card stayed silent. 

Just then, something caught Ramona's eye. There, on the wall. It was faded, but she could still identify it. A sigil. Exactly like the one on Julian's throat and Asra's chest. Just as she found one answer, she stumbled upon twenty more questions. What the hell happened down here? 

Ramona's magic tugged her back to the desk. Sitting among the medical tomes was a book unlike the rest. She opened it, but found it was written in a language she didn't understand. It felt important, though, so she stuffed it in her bag. Perhaps Asra would know what it said? Valdemar's voice called out to her, asking if she was done. She pulled the mask back on and exited the office. She had a trial to get to. 

... 

The trial was... not what Ramona expected. She did her part, defending Julian and revealing his innocence, though the courtiers did their best to disregard everything she said. Then Asra dropped a truth bomb. He told them about a banquet, a ritual, a spell gone wrong. About Lucio trying to become one with the Devil. Belief was split, some not believing and some telling their neighbors stories of ghostly sightings they saw or heard. When that didn't seem to be working, Asra requested something different. 

"Trial by combat." 

Ramona froze. Trial by what now?! It was so unexpected, Ramona couldn't help but wonder what they were planning. And feeling disappointment at not having been told of this plan. Why didn't they ever tell her anything? Ramona watched as Asra and Julian were taken away to suit up before joining Nadia in her box. 

Ramona sat nervously bouncing her leg, wondering what was to happen when a servant came running up to their box. It seemed Asra wanted a favor from her, to wear for luck. Ramona blushed. It was like something straight out of the books she loved to read. She gave him her emerald necklace. It was infused with Asra's magic, so perhaps it would keep him safe? The servant ran off with the necklace, returning a bit later nervously holding Faust. Ramona took Faust and let her curl up in her lap. 

When Asra and Julian were announced, Ramona gasped. Their outfits were less than practical considering they were going into battle, but gods they looked good. Ramona felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She glanced at Nadia, who was smiling at her, amused. 

"Umm... Can they... Can they keep those outfits? Asking for a friend." Ramona asked. Nadia chuckled softly. Those outfits left nothing to the imagination. Their opponent, though, worried her. It was Asra's friend, Muriel. Why would he come back here, to a place that most likely held nothing but bad memories for him?And that's not even including his dislike for crowds. The same thought echoed through her mind: what were they planning? 

Ramona sat there, feeling helpless while her friends fought it out in the arena. Faust squeezed her arm, trying to help alleviate some of the tension. She stroked Faust's scaly little head, but her fingers were shaking. She believed in their abilities, but someone had to win, or people will know they're working together. Someone is going to get hurt. 

That someone ended up being Julian. He had been looking for an opening, but ended up getting slammed into the wall and knocked unconscious. Ramona stood abruptly and screamed his name. He wasn't moving. She didn't hear the crowd or even Nadia beside her putting an end to the fight. Ramona jumped from the box down to the arena. She tried to get to Julian, but the crowd flooded the arena. She lost sight of Julian being taken away and was swept up in the rowdy spectators. 

Asra, ever her hero, swept in using a wave of water from the fountain in the square and got her to a quieter place. She finally broke down, crying against his chest. Asra held her close and rubbed her back. 

"Asra, we can't let him die." Ramona cried. "Please tell me you have a plan."

"I do. But for now, you just have to trust us."


End file.
